


Sparky Drabbles

by ShipperWriter



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, John x Elizabeth, SGA, Sparky - Freeform, Tumblr Prompts, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 01:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 9,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5847757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipperWriter/pseuds/ShipperWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one shot drabbles inspired by various prompts on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Can I Kiss You?"

“Can I kiss you?”

As the last words that John ever expected Elizabeth to utter drowsily fell from her lips, he blinked hard, then looked at the slightly drunk woman that he was currently helping to stay upright. 

"Umm, I don't think that's a great idea, Elizabeth."

"Why not? You let every other girl in the Pegasus Galaxy do it."

If seeing the normally competent leader of the Expedition act like a jealous fifteen year old wasn't so disturbing, he would have laughed.

He smirked instead. "Not everybody."

"Well, almost! You know, I think Rodney's right. You really are a Kirk."

John quickly tallied exactly how many Pegasus natives he had shared a kiss with, and just as quickly shook his head in self defense. "Not true. Kirk had a lady almost every episode. And I've only kissed five woman since we got here. Including you."

"Doesn't count," Elizabeth slurred as they came around the corner by her quarters, allowing John a sigh of relief that they had made it without falling, and also they had successfully avoided seeing any other Expedition members.

"True, we'd been taken over by a couple of aliens who wanted to kill each other, but physically it still happened."

"Why are you fighting so hard?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, spinning away from his grasp and landing against the wall as John waved a hand over her door controls. They slid open and he reached for her again, attempting to keep her steady until she could get inside to her bed. "I think you're afraid."

"And I think you're drunk, 'Lizabeth," he retorted, pressing one hand firmly against her back. "C'mon, you need to get some sleep."

"Will you stay?" she asked as her jacket found its way to the floor.

"I'll stay til you fall asleep."

Then she snorted and John had to control the urge to really laugh. 

"Fine, I'll take what I can get," she acquiesced, falling onto the bed a little harder than John assumed she usually did. 

He helped her get her boots off and pulled the cover over her, pulling over one of her sitting chairs and taking up residence next to the bed. "You need anything?"

"No," she murmured, more sleepy than drowsy. "I've got everything I need right here," she added, patting his knee.

She was out in less than five minutes.

The next morning, Elizabeth found a glass of water next to her bed with two aspirin and a note. 

_"Hope you're feeling better. John"_

As she swallowed the pills, she wondered why there was a pair of lips drawn on the card.


	2. "I Can't Let You Do That."

“I can’t let you do that.”

Elizabeth held a Wraith stunner in her hands, aimed at her military commander, and she wondered how the situation had come down to this.

John was standing next to a control panel, an Ancient tool in his hand that was attempting to override the door locks that had been set by the main computer in the control room. An hour ago, he had known that the room was flooded with gamma radiation.

Then his head had gotten sucked into some Ancient control interface, too similar to the one that Jack O'Neill had previous experience with, and he seemed to stop understanding English. 

And Elizabeth was fluent in written Ancient, but verbalizing it in a complete conversation was a completely different matter. 

One that it seemed might cost her the life of her friend. At this rate, the radiation would start to affect them within two minutes. 

"John. Step away from the door."

He looked up at her with an expression akin to a child's. With a blink, he turned back to his work.

"John!" she screamed even louder, as if the higher decibels would get through the language barrier. 

He did nothing, only continued to work at the door lock. 

She closed her eyes, readying herself to stun him, until she heard a voice. 

_"Elizabeth, hold your fire!"_

Elizabeth took a step back, then tapped her earpiece. "Rodney, what is it?"

_"I don't know what Sheppard's doing, but the radiation levels are dropping in the room!"_

She lowered the weapon, then took a step towards John. He muttered something as she touched his shoulder. 

He looked up at her. _"Mia indeeo asordo."_

_I need help._

"You need help. With what?" she murmured more to herself than to him.

He nodded. _"Mia fron cruvus. Separerunt ex machinus. Mia indeeo statim curatio."_

Her eyes widened. He must have been in more pain than she realized; his Ancient was broken, like a small wounded child trying to explain where he was hurt. But as she pieced the words together, she realized what he had been doing. 

He wasn't trying to flood the compartment with radiation; rather, he was making it disappear so he could enter.

With her hand still on John's shoulder, she tapped her earpiece. "Rodney, the second that the radiation levels are low enough, open the doors. Carson, I need a medical team down here ASAP."

 _"Elizabeth, what is it?"_ McKay replied, the sound of keyboard clacks in the background.

"Whatever machine has affected John, the antidotal version is in this compartment."

_"Are you sure?"_

Matching her gaze to John's, she replied, "Absolutely."

An hour later, John regained consciousness in the infirmary. 

Elizabeth was at his side, working on a sudoku puzzle. He let out a small groan as he tried to sit upright. "Did I get hit in the head?"

"Something like that," she replied lightly, placing her puzzle on the table. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I can understand you now, so I'm gonna say I'm doing a lot better than before. Do we have any idea what happened?"

"As best as Rodney and I have been able to determine, the machine was designed to help Ancients recover from cranial injuries. But someone who uses it without need causes the machine to work backwards. It's like taking aspirin when you don't have a headache, except in this case it induces one."

John nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation, and laid back. "Glad your understanding of Ancient is on the up and up. Thanks for being there."

"Thanks for making sure I didn't shoot you."

John's eyes widened in slight shock. "You had a _gun_?!"

"A Wraith stunner," she clarified. "In any event, I was happy not to use it."

He narrowed his eyes. "But you would have."

"Only if it was absolutely necessary to incapacitate you. But as it turns out, the Ancient consciousness that was implanted in you seemed to know that the machine had made a mistake. If I had shot you, it's entirely possible that we wouldn't be having this conversation."

John perked up. "So I saved the day?"

Elizabeth shrugged to one side. "Technically, Rodney was the one who detected the dropping radiation levels."

John groaned. "Crap. Just something else he can hold over me."

She patted his arm, then picked up her sudoku book again.


	3. "You Came Back."

“You came back.”

Elizabeth Weir frowned as hazel eyes peered out at her with surprise from behind the crudely constructed gate. "Of course I did. We don't leave our people behind, remember?"

John smirked as he examined her outfit, consisting of a black shirt, TAC vest, and black cargo pants, which was the standard away team uniform. "What happened to diplomacy?"

She knelt down on one knee and began untying the ropes holding the gate in place. They had been placed just far enough away that John couldn't reach through and untie them. "It didn't work this time. So we tried a different way."

"Where's the rest of the team?"

"In a puddle jumper, just around the corner."

When the rope came loose, Elizabeth stepped back as John pushed it open harshly. 

"Where's your gear?" she asked, looking around the room.

"They took it with them when they left me here to die."

She turned and glanced at him wryly. "Honestly, John, you don't have to be such a drama king."

He gave her a cheeky grin and reached for the side holster, unsnapping it and taking the gun. "What do you say we go home?"

She nodded. "After you."


	4. "I'm Flirting With You."

“I’m flirting with you.”

Elizabeth looked up from her desk to see John standing just in the entryway. "What?" she asked, not entirely sure that her ears were functioning correctly. 

He shrugged, hands shoved into the pockets of his black pants. "I'm flirting with you," he repeated quietly in shocked realization as he walked in. "I come into your office without permission-"

"I do have an open door policy."

"I spend more time here than in my own office."

"To be fair, you didn't even know where it was for the first two months."

"I sit on your desk more than in a chair."

"That's why I keep Clorox wipes handy."

"I bring you dessert when you're working late."

"And here I just thought you were being considerate."

He took a seat in front of her. "I bring it just so I can see you. To make sure you're not working too hard."

She smiled, then closed the lid on her laptop. "John, you're not flirting with me. We're colleagues who work very closely together, which has resulted in a friendship that I wouldn't trade for anything." Giving him a warm smile, she added, "Anybody who thinks that is flirting obviously has never been out on a date."

John sat up in his seat, a slight smile coming to his face. "That's a very real possibility."

Elizabeth glanced up at him. "Rodney?"

"Rodney."


	5. "Are You Drunk?"

“Are you drunk?”

John frowned. “Why has everybody been asking me that today?”

“Probably because you’re acting like it. You show up late to a briefing, you can’t even enunciate clearly, and from the scattered reports that I’ve received, you couldn’t even walk in a straight line on your way here.”

“I swear I’m not drunk, Lishbeth.”

He saw her sigh heavily and lean back in her chair.

That wasn’t how you pronounced Elizabeth.

So he tried again. “E-liz-a-beth.” He shrugged. “Why was that so hard?”

Her eyes narrowed as she tapped her earpiece. “Weir to Dr. Beckett.”

_“This is Beckett.”_

“Carson, have you had any patients this morning who are displaying symptoms consistent with drunkenness?”

_“Such as slurred speech, impediment of motor dexterity skills?”_

“Exactly,” she replied, glancing up at John.

He caught on to what she was thinking. “I’m not drunk,” he simply stated in fact, not in defense.

_“No, and I don’t think the others are either.”_

“How do you know there are others?”

_“I’ve had three patients this morning, displaying those symptoms to varying degrees.”_

Elizabeth looked at John. “Teyla, Ronon, and McKay?”

_“Aye.”_

“The fourth one is about to join them."


	6. "It Wasn't Supposed To Happen Like That."

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”

Elizabeth frowned and glanced up at the lieutenant colonel blocking her way out of the puddle jumper. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head, lightly gripping his P-90 which, considering that they were back in the safety of the jumper bay in Atlantis, concerned her. “That’s not the way it happened before.”

“John, you got stuck a day in the past and relived everything exactly as it happened before. How could it have turned out different?”

“When we were heading back to the gate the first time, one of their energy weapons must’ve hit it. At least, that was Rodney’s conclusion. But we left without a hitch and made it back through the gate at the right time.” He shook his head. “Something just doesn’t add up.”

“Or,” Elizabeth interjected, rising from her seat, “maybe you’re just so used to the absurd amount of ridiculous incidents that we’ve been involved with that you’ve gotten paranoid.”

He scoffed. “I am not being paranoid.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“I am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Really, John?” she replied without missing a beat, looking him squarely in the eyes. “Can’t you just appreciate that we’ve managed to make it through unscathed one more time?”

He let out a long sigh, running a hand down his face. “Crap. You’re right,” he quietly replied. 

“Maybe Carson should prescribe some time off,” Elizabeth suggested.

“Like I’d actually take it,” John muttered.

“I’ll have him sedate you for the week if necessary. John, you’re so stressed that you don’t even see it.”

He turned his gaze upwards and groaned. “Maybe there’s some nice waves on the mainland.”


	7. "How Long Has It Been?"

“How long has it been?”

“Six hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-two seconds,” John replied, glancing at his watch. “Give or take a few seconds.”

Elizabeth groaned, then tapped her earpiece again. “Rodney, how much longer?”

“ _I’m not sure, Elizabeth. The circuits got stunned from the weapons fire and it's taking longer than usual to recouple them._ "

"McKay," John growled through his com. "It's a hundred degrees in here, neither of us have any desire to climb up a tiny shaft to get out, and one or both of us is starting to get a little ripe."

"Definitely both of us," Elizabeth muttered, just low enough that only John could hear it.

He cocked a smile, then grimaced. "So stop explaining why we're stuck in here and skip to the part where you miraculously get us out."

" _Working on it. McKay out._ "

Elizabeth sighed, then glanced at John's shirt. The sweat stains were just as visible as they were on her red one. "So how much longer do we wait before we start stripping?"

John's head shot up so fast that Elizabeth had to restrain a laugh. "Words I never thought I'd hear you say," he exclaimed. "This heat must be getting to you."

"Along with the lack of water, probably not the best combination." She lifted the edge of her shirt and revealed a black tank top. "I'm shedding layers. Feel free to do the same."

John's black tee landed on the ground quicker than hers.


	8. "I'll Be Right Over"

“I’ll be right over.”

Elizabeth looked up as John snapped off his earpiece when he entered her office. "Sorry about that. You wanted to see me?"

"Not if it's holding you up from a crucial appointment," Elizabeth replied, raising an eyebrow.

He waved dismissively behind him. "Nah, it's fine. I'll get to it later."

"You said that you would be right over. If it's important, you can come back when it's done."

"Oh, no, whatever you need comes first. You did want to see me?"

Elizabeth observed John quickly. He was wringing his hands, his head kept turning as if he were on the lookout for someone, and he was doing his best to appear calm despite the panic she spotted in his eyes.

"Now that you mention it, I'm not sure I did call you. In fact," she stated, rising from her chair and circling the desk, "I believe that you walked into my office, hoping that I would have some task that would keep you from getting your scheduled physical."

"Oh c'mon, Elizabeth, do you really think that I would resort to hiding out from Nurse Ratchet?"

Elizabeth just stared pointedly at him. "Bennigan?"

"There is something wrong with that woman!" he suddenly exclaimed, pointing out towards the control room emphatically. "She came to find me the other day to make sure that my electrolytes had rebalanced or something."

"Since when is there anything wrong with the medical staff here going the extra mile?"

"I was in the shower!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O to accompany her own quiet exclamation.

"Until Carson gets back from his medical conference, I'm not going anywhere near the infirmary."

"I don't have an issue with that. In the meantime, I'll call up Nurse Ra -- I mean, Benngian, and have a word with her."

"A word." John smiled slightly. "Of the four letter variety?"

"Unless you stay for our meeting, you will never know."

John turned on his heel. "I think I left something out on the west pier..."


	9. "You Know, It's Okay To Cry."

“You know, it’s okay to cry.”

John looked up in the darkness of the night as a familiar voice approached him. "Elizabeth. What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"There are some days when I seriously ask myself that," she replied, pulling her jacket tighter. "Room for one more?"

He nodded, then slid the unopened six-pack behind him as she sat down next to him on the edge.

"I mean it, though. It is okay to cry."

He loosened a can and handed it to her, then picked up his own half-finished beer. "It's not the first time I've lost men under my command."

"I know." She gingerly popped the tab. "But it does affect you, even if you try to deny it."

He nodded, then took a swallow, letting his legs dangle loosely over the edge. "It doesn't get any easier, that's for sure."

Elizabeth took a sip then set it down next to her. "John, you know I'm not here about Sergeant Zimbala."

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know," he whispered.

"How many years has it been?"

"Nineteen." He guzzled the rest of the beer. "Nineteen years since my mom died."

They remained silent for a moment.

"My father died when I was twenty-two."

John looked up at her. "What?"

Elizabeth was smiling, but he was pretty sure it was to hold back the tears that were dangerously close to flooding her face. "The week after I graduated, my family had planned a vacation, just the three of us. We hadn't taken one together in such a long time. My dad wanted it to be a surprise, so when I took up an offer from one of my classmates to visit London for a week, my parents didn't say anything." She sniffled. "Dad had a heart attack that weekend."

"Elizabeth, it wasn't your fault."

"I know. But I always felt like I should've been there with my family." She pressed both of her hands to the flat metal, bracing herself. "I feel the same way here. I don't want anyone to die alone."

John sighed, then set his own can down. With his empty hand, he reached over and touched hers lightly. She flipped her hand over and wrapped her fingers around his. "You can't save everyone, Elizabeth."

"I know," she whispered, a tear finally streaking down her cheek. "Believe me, I know. But they should be surrounded by the people who care about them, not the ones who killed them."

John wholeheartedly agreed, but he didn't have anymore words. So he just sat on the deck, absentmindedly holding Elizabeth's hand in his until the sun came up.


	10. "I Just Want This."

“I just want this.”

Elizabeth scanned the screen quickly, doing her best to repress a chuckle as she looked up at John and Rodney. "And may I ask the reasoning behind this?"

They gave each other a look, then began taking turns motioning for the other to start talking.

Rodney lost. "Colonel Sheppard and I feel that having one--"

"Or two," John quickly interjected.

"--of these on the base would not only be a morale booster, but it could prove useful during a potential foothold situation."

"Which, as was proved ever so disconcertingly last year, can happen by some unusual means," John added, raising an eyebrow at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth cocked an eye back at him, her silent plea to stand down. John did so, but not before she caught the corner of his mouth turn up.

"I understand your first point. Please elaborate on the second."

"It's small, harmless looking, and comes with attachments, meaning that we could send it into a locked down room and disable any intruders."

Elizabeth tore her stunned gaze away from Rodney and regarded John, jaw slack with shock. "I can't tell if he's being serious right now."

John just smiled and bounced on his heels. "Oh, he is."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what we have a MALP for?"

"Yes, technically they are designed for assessment purposes. However, they have also proven quite unreliable at times, either due to maintenance issues or computer hacks."

"And you think a remote control race car is the solution to that? Genius plan. We should contact General O'Neill immediately and recommend replacing the MALPs at the SGC as well."

John covered his mouth, trying to mask the sound that was still escaping through it.

Elizabeth and Rodney maintained eye contact until Rodney slumped. "So that's a no?"

"Definitely a no."

Rodney pouted.

"If you want to buy them for yourselves and have Daedalus bring them here on the next supply run, I have no problem with that. But trying to write them off as a departmental expenditure is absolutely not happening. Not to mention a little childish."

McKay muttered something under his breath before leaving her office.

As John turned to follow him, Elizabeth called out, "John, a moment."

He slowly turned back to face her, attempting to plaster some semblance of a respectful face.

"Please tell me that you didn't come up with that."

He shook his head then sat on the edge of the desk. "To be honest, I didn't think that he would take it that far."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Well, it was entertaining."

"It was," he replied with a light shrug. "Speaking of entertaining, you want one? My treat."

"Sure, why not?"

As he stood and opened his mouth, she quickly replied, "Dibs on the red."

"Dang it," he muttered as he walked out, leaving Elizabeth sitting at her desk with a smile.


	11. "You Don't Need To Protect Me."

“You don’t need to protect me.”

John looked up from his desk as Rodney walked in the room. "Sorry, what?"

"You don't need to protect me," he repeated, sitting down in one of the chairs. "If Elizabeth doesn't want to see me, just tell me."

Sheppard sighed, then clicked the pen and reclined in his office chair. "She doesn't want to see any of us, Rodney. I've been trying to get ahold of her and it's like she's not even home."

"Well, maybe she's out of town or something."

"No, she's here. I've seen her."

"I thought you just said that you hadn't been able to contact her."

"I did. That doesn't mean I didn't do a little recon."

"Wha -- you've been spying on Elizabeth?"

"No, I--" John stopped short and glared up at Rodney. "That's not what I said. I said I've been doing a little recon. I went to stop by her place the other day. Her car was outside. One of her neighbors walked out. I asked if they had seen Elizabeth, and he told me that aside from an accidental bump in the hallway, he never saw her." John sighed, then stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "She's not just avoiding us, McKay. She's hiding from the world."

Rodney frowned, crossing his arms as he waved a finger at Sheppard. "No, no. Elizabeth has too much to offer to just hide away like that. She should be lecturing, or teaching at the university, or ... something!"

John shrugged. "We were all flooded with offers when we came back. It's not like being a hermit was Elizabeth's only choice. But it's what she chose, and it's what we have to respect."

"She's just wasting her life. How can you just sit back and let her do that?"

"McKay, let it go," John said softly.

Rodney grumbled something and walked out of John's office.

John waited until Rodney cleared the corridor, then fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his messages, then hit the call button.

It went to voicemail, just like every other time he had called her.


	12. "You Can't Protect Me."

“You can’t protect me.”

She blinked at him. "Well, it doesn't exactly look like you have a choice."

John lay on the ground, a handkerchief in his hand as he wiped sweat away from a cut on his brow. He had hit his head on the ground hard enough that he was seeing three of everything, blood and sweat was dripping into his eye, and a wound just above his knee was making it impossible for him to stand.

So Elizabeth was standing in front of him, holding his gun a little uncomfortably.

"This is so not a good idea."

"Hey, the moment that you only see one of me, you're more than welcome to have your weapon back. But if another one of those creatures comes back, I would prefer that someone with 20/20 vision be doing the aiming."

She had only gone on this mission to fill in for Teyla, who was comfortably resting in the infirmary after a particularly nasty strain of Pegasus influenza, as Carson had taken to calling it. It was a routine meet and greet that went south when extremely aggressive creatures that resembled llamas standing on hind legs attacked them on the way into town.

Rodney and Ronon had gotten separated from them, but Elizabeth wasn't worried about their safety. Neither of them had been injured.

John, on the other hand, could barely crawl to safety.

She had taken his gun after observing that the Wraith stunners seemed to have no impact on them. After seeing how aggressively they came after them when they didn't even confront them, Elizabeth wasn't going to take any chances.

"You remember what I taught you?" John asked, biting his lip in obvious discomfort.

"I don't like guns," she replied, clicking the safety off. "That doesn't mean I don't know how to use one."

"Not sure what scares me more: the fact that you actually have used guns or the fact you're holding one."

She heard a twig snap outside and she held a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. John tried propping himself up as much as he could. Elizabeth slowly raised the gun, pointing it squarely at the entrance.

A tall shadow appeared on the cave wall and she spread her lips, bracing herself.

When the figure began to look less like an evil llama and more like a certain Satedan, she called out, "Ronon?"

"Doctor Weir?"

"Elizabeth! Oh my God!" Rodney exclaimed, primarily in relief and lastly in horror when he saw the gun still aimed at his head.

John smiled wryly. "Huh. Found another way to freak out McKay. Awesome."


	13. "Have You Ever Wanted To Hate Someone?"

“Have you ever wanted to hate someone?”

Elizabeth looked up from the infirmary report she was reviewing. "I don't follow."

"Have you ever wanted to hate someone? But you couldn't?" John repeated, sitting down in the chair, running his hands over his face.

"Not particularly. Hate is such a strong word." She shrugged. "There was that one professor in college, though. Forcing us to write a ten page paper during orientation class can incite feelings of rage."

"I've been trying my best to suppress it, but I'm having a hard time keeping it up."

She sighed. Closing her tablet and pushing it to the side, she clasped her hands on the desk. "What's wrong?"

"Larasle. He's been here for less than a day, and I'm already writing my resignation."

"Surely it can't be that bad."

"Surely it can. He's being demanding, patronizing, and commandeering. And I really want to hate him."

"But you don't?"

"I can't," he replied simply. "Knowing what his people have gone through, surviving Wraith attacks for generations, how he's managed to keep his people safe, it makes me want to hug him. And then he tells Teyla to draw him a bath."

Elizabeth smiled. "Just get through one more day. He'll be going home tomorrow."

"He better be. I don't care if he personally carved a cave to save his people; if he asks me to bring him breakfast again, I'm throwing his body over the side of the pier."

"Before or after you write your resignation?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not sure yet."


	14. "I'm Sorry. I Didn't Know."

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

John nodded his head in silent acceptance as Elizabeth approached him on the balcony. The door slid shut behind her as another wave crashed against the pier below. "It didn't even occur to me--"

"Elizabeth," he cut her off quietly. "Just let it go."

She took her place next to him at the railing. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I'm guessing that you couldn't either."

It was two in the morning and her office lights had gone out at a decent time. John knew full well that she was suffering with a bout of insomnia, just as he was. Granted, the reasons were completely different.

Elizabeth was still recovering from a particularly bad sinus infection that forced her awake at night, unable to breathe properly. She had visited the infirmary at the same time that John was walking out with a prescription to help him sleep.

She tried to talk to him, but he ignored her and brushed past. He didn't want to deal with his own demons any more than he wanted others to know about them.

Aside from the staff meeting in the morning, John had avoided Elizabeth all day. Apparently, not having the military commander sitting on her desk for part of the day had given her time to research and figure out what was wrong and why he got so pissy with her.

"I should've realized it earlier," she quietly continued, seeming to ignore his wishes. But he bit his lip and let her speak. "I've never seen you get this dark before. But I'm also assuming that you've never lost anyone else on the same date as the helicopter accident."

He dropped his head. "No," he replied with a sharp inhale.

"I know you well enough to know that telling you it's not your fault won't make a difference. But I'm telling you anyway," she said, turning to face him.

"Myers and Stratton were 25 and 27. They don't get to have a full long life because of something I missed." John turned to face her. "So don't tell me it's not my fault when you know full well that is it."

Elizabeth licked her lips, carefully selecting her next words. It was a habit that he had seen all too often during an offworld meeting gone wrong. "I know that you think and feel like it's your fault. And you will beat yourself up about it for the next month until their faces don't wake you up at night anymore. And then you'll go a week without thinking about it until you see their old locker, or someone mentions them because they forget they're gone, or you automatically call for them on a mission and they're not there. But you are here. You are alive because of what they did for you, for this mission, and you know full well that given the chance, they'd do it again." She raised her hand and rested it on his shoulder. "Blaming yourself makes their sacrifice worthless. Don't do that to them. Don't do that to us."

John blinked, trying to hold the tears back, but one escaped. He sighed, dropping his shoulders and reaching up for Elizabeth's hand. "You're getting way too good at this," he whispered.

"I'll do it as many times as I need to," she replied in kind.


	15. "Please Don't Argue."

“Please don’t argue.”

"I'm not arguing!"

"You call that not arguing?!"

"Elizabeth, bring the jumper back to the bay. Now."

"We've been over this, John. You know you can't order me."

"And you know I can order the Marines and they'll actually follow it, unlike you!"

"And I will still do what is right! Do not test me on this, John, and that is an order."

"Do you even realize what you are doing right now?"

"Yes, I am taking that stupid game that you and Rodney have had your faces glued to for the past nine days and I am dumping it in a remote area of ocean where you will never find it!"

"Oh my God, you sound like such a five year old right now!"

"Well, now, at least you know how you've been acting!"

And then Elizabeth woke up.

Her eyes widened as she scanned the room and realized that she had yet another one of her drug-induced dreams. She had no idea when she visited Mitotria that the local cuisine was actually laced with an extremely potent hallucinogen that didn't affect the locals due to years of exposure.

Visitors, however, went on the craziest ride of their lives.

Elizabeth, John, and Rodney had spent two days in a drug-induced coma while Carson monitored them until he was content that the majority of the drug had worn off. But as the last two nights had proven, a remnant had remained and was causing dreams far more insane than she could have ever imagined possible.

She heard a tapping and slowly eased herself out of her bed. Pulling on her robe as she approached the door, she already knew who was standing on the other side.

As the doors slid open, John stuck his hands into the pocket of his navy blue robe. "Hey," he greeted quietly.

"Hey. I take it the--"

"Yeah," he nodded. "A little bit crazier than the night before, but not as intense."

"Yeah, mine too."

Last night, John had invited Elizabeth into his quarters when she showed up at his door at three in the morning, but she declined and went back to her room. But after laying in bed for three hours, staring at the ceiling - because that was another side effect, once you woke up from the dream, you couldn't get back to sleep - she regretted not having company.

So she decided differently for today. "Coffee?"

"Sounds good," he replied quickly, falling into step beside her as they made their way to the nearest lift.

"What was your dream about?" he asked as they walked into a dimly lit cafeteria.

"I was stealing a jumper and we were yelling at each other like unreasonable five-year-olds."

He processed the comment, then smirked. "Yeah, still doesn't beat mine."

"All right, what was yours?" she asked, pushing open the door that led into the prep room where a coffee percolator rested on the counter. As often as some of the expedition members had tried making coffee in their rooms and almost caused a fire, the red-headed cafeteria manager decided that it was much safer to leave a 24-hour source of coffee in the prep room.

And Elizabeth blessed her every day for it.

"We were all characters in Star Wars."

Elizabeth laughed as she reached for two mugs. "Well, it's an obvious guess who Ronon was. And I have a feeling that the scoundrel was you."

"Elizabeth," John replied with a mocking pout. "You hurt me. Scoundrel?"

"Were you Han?"

"Yes."

She shook her head and dispensed coffee into both cups, pushing them over to John who held the creamer in hand. She had no problem drinking it black, but she wanted her nocturnal coffee break to warm her, not grow hair on her chest.

"McKay was Luke Skywalker. That's how I knew it was a dream."

Elizabeth smiled. "And Teyla was?"

John pursed his lips, carrying the coffee out to a table. "Actually, I don't remember Teyla being in the dream. Oh, wait, yeah, she was. She was Threepio. Again, thank you, Pegasus hallucinogens."

"Well, who was Leia, then?"

John looked directly at her and unsuccessfully hid a smirk behind his cup.

"No."

"You'd look great with buns."

"Shut up."

"Or that outfit from Jabba's palace."

"Don't make me through hot coffee on you."


	16. "I Did A Pregnancy Test."

“I did a pregnancy test.”

Elizabeth looked up at the lieutenant colonel as he entered her office after his unexpected announcement. "You did what?"

"I took a pregnancy test."

"Dare I ask why?"

"For fun?"

Elizabeth sighed, then gestured to one of the chairs. Ever since the power surge had rendered the Gate and the jumper bay doors inoperable two days before, the Expedition had found itself with an inordinate amount of time on their hands. Some were pursuing projects that they had been putting off since their arrival, and some were sunbathing more than they should.

Others had found themselves completely bored and started doing anything they could to entertain themselves.

Like taking home pregnancy tests, for instance.

"How did you even get one from Carson?"

John raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think I got the idea from? He's been suggesting it to everyone who passes by."

Elizabeth shook her head and opened a new email to staff, saving it to her drafts. In the midst of a mental meltdown, sending a message about not using emergency supplies - which the pregnancy tests were - seemed more likely to incite a riot than to serve as a thoughtful reminder. "I'll have a word with him later."

"It came back negative."

Elizabeth glared at him. "You can't even imagine how relieved I am," she replied flatly. "Isn't there something more constructive that you could be doing besides using our emergency rations for your own amusement?"

"I could go surfing."

Elizabeth looked outside at the flat sea. "I don't think your odds are very good there."

"I could rollerblade out to the pier."

"Do you even have rollerblades?"

John nodded in defeat. "I could start reading War and Peace again."

"I have an even better idea for you." Elizabeth picked up a tablet and handed it to him. "Help me finish these reports."

John glanced over the screen. "Elizabeth, these aren't even your reports. They're mi--oh."

Elizabeth looked knowingly at him. "Yes, they are yours. Do you really mean to tell me that in the last two days of downtime, you preferred taking a pregnancy test just for the heck of it instead of doing your weekly - and might I add, overdue reports?"

John looked back at her with the same expression. "Wouldn't you?"

Elizabeth shook her head and brought her eyes back to her tablet. "No, John, I wouldn't."

"So you're telling me that you never blew off a class in college to do something fun?"

"That's not what I said."

"So you did?"

"John?"

"Yes?"

"Do your work, or I will personally see to it that the next door that breaks is yours."

"Yes, ma'am."

After five minutes of silence, she looked up with a slightly guilty expression. "I skipped one of my finals during freshman year to go to the beach."

John chuckled, never taking his eyes off his work. "I knew you had it in you."


	17. "I Didn't Know You Could Sing."

“I didn’t know you could sing.”

John shook his head, looking up from his guitar to the woman who had just appeared in the doorway to his quarters. "I can't."

"Then your speaker system is top of the line because it sounded like someone was actually singing in here."

John sighed. "I'm not getting out of this one, am I?"

"Nope." Elizabeth took a seat on the reclining chair. "Do you have another one of those?" she asked, nodding towards the beer can.

He smiled. In the three years since they had made Atlantis their home, Elizabeth Weir had never asked him for a drink. Except for that one time on M74-178 that they agreed never to discuss. It turned out that no one, not even the Pegasus locals, knew how strong the Resiek water was. And water was a misleading name.

Moonshine would've been more accurate, but still not exact.

He pulled another can of Bud Light off the six-pack and handed it to her. Despite being out of the fridge for half an hour, the windows were opened and the temperature had dropped to the high 60s. The metal floor was a good insulator of cold for the cans. "To Atlantis?" he asked, holding up his can.

She agreed. "To Atlantis," she echoed, clinking her can against his.

He took a swig. "So," he drawled, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, you know. Girl goes to college, gets her doctorate, then makes a wrong turn at the Pegasus Galaxy."

He chuckled, then put his can back on the floor and started strumming again. "Johnny Cash?"

"Sure," she replied faintly, placing her can on the floor as well.

His fingers ran across the strings and found the chords in a long since memorized manner, humming softly as he found the right key. He played the notes slower than the way Johnny Cash had recorded it, but John was a sucker for acoustic versions anyway.

John started singing the first verse. " _I keep a close watch on this heart of mine. I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I keep the ends out for the tie that binds. Because you're mine, I walk the line_."

He glanced at Elizabeth and saw her leaning back in the chair, hands clasped behind her head. Her eyes were closed, and even over the sound of the guitar chords her hum was audible.

So when she started singing the next verse with him, John just smiled and kept playing. " _I find it very, very easy to be true. I find myself alone when each day is through. Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you. Because you're mine, I walk the line_."

"Now just the ladies," he called out and Elizabeth opened her eyes in feigned shock. But as John nodded at her to sing, she leaned back again and closed her eyes.

" _As sure as night is dark and day is light, I keep you on my mind both day and night. And happiness I've known proves that it's right. Because you're mine, I walk the line_."

John stopped playing and regarded Elizabeth. "I don't think I've ever heard you sing before."

"It's not something I like to do in public."

"You should. That was beautiful."

Her eyes remained closed as she waved a nonchalant hand at him. "You've had too many beers."

"Just one. And I mean it. You should sing more often."

Elizabeth looked up at him. "I loved singing when I was a kid. I tried out for every school play, every musical. I was quite the actress when I was younger."

"Lends itself to diplomacy pretty well, too."

Elizabeth chuckled. “It does help. There were times when I literally could not bear to be in the same room as some of the people who were involved in the negotiations. But keeping the big picture in mind helped me to put on a smiling face and get through it.” She picked up her can and shook it side to side. The lack of liquid sloshing inside made John chuckle. “You have another?”

“Yep. But you can’t drive for an hour afterwards.”

“That’s okay,” she replied, handing him her empty can in exchange for a full one. “I like the musician who’s playing.”

He smiled, then started playing again.


	18. "Do You Ever Think We Should Just Stop This?"

“Do you ever think we should just stop this?”

John turned the light on his P-90 towards the scientist. “Stop what?”

“Looking for Elizabeth.”

John froze in place at Rodney’s words, words he never thought he would hear anyone say, much less him. Anger and fear and terror and hate rose in his throat, but he cleared his voice and quietly growled, “What makes you say that?”

“Sheppard,” Rodney replied in a softer voice than he anticipated, “it’s been three weeks. I don’t know how Elizabeth would’ve been able to survive out here for that long.”

John took another look around at the frozen cave. The Stargate on this planet stood alone on a wide open plain, but the sunshine that reached the planet was more generous with the light than with the heat. The temperature had maintained a steady 10°F in the time since Elizabeth Weir had been lost on this planet.

He winced as he recalled the events leading up to it. An away team led by Major Lorne was heading out when an electrical surge of unknown origins struck the Gate. Elizabeth had been standing on the floor of the Gate room, having a quick word with the team leader, but the normal confines of gravity ceased to have any effect on the room and everything turned sideways. Evan Lorne had held onto a pole and Elizabeth had held onto him.

Until her grip came loose and she slid through the event horizon of the active Stargate.

McKay and Zelenka had been unable to produce any answers; when they ran a diagnostic, the only thing it revealed was that the wormhole had somehow jumped to another Stargate. Sheppard was having flashbacks to a similar incident during the first year of the SGC’s existence involving Colonel O’Neill and Captain Carter, but they had already ruled out the possibility of a second Stargate existing on this world.

The first week after she had disappeared, General Landry had authorized a search and rescue mission when they found a viable location. McKay had worked long into the night for eight days straight until they finally found a location with evidence of human life.

The Stargate on M26-370 had a message in pebbles laid out next to it.

 _Here_.

They called it good enough and began sending crews through.

But after twenty-two days of around-the-clock search parties and probe scans, the hope of finding Elizabeth was beginning to fade for many of the Expedition members. The SGC had appointed John as interim commander of Atlantis until the IOA could send another person they deemed worthy.

But there was no one else who could take Elizabeth’s place.

John refused to give up; while other teams resumed normal field operations, SGA-1 would check in on this planet every day. When John told the team of his intentions, Ronon Dex nodded in silent agreement. Rodney sighed. Teyla pressed her lips firmly together and forced a smile, stating her belief that they would find her.

John could feel it; something would not let him believe that Elizabeth was gone, that there was no hope. Maybe it was the sting of losing men in battle before that drove him to continue. Maybe it was the fact that he did not want to lose his best friend.

Maybe it was the fact that he was not ready to live without her.

So he shook his head. “I know, McKay,” he quietly responded with a sigh. “But for all the times that one of us has been lost, she never gave up on us. I’m not giving up on her.”

“Sheppard!”

Ronon’s roar from across the cave startled Sheppard. It wasn’t one of disappointment, but rather one of hope.

_Did they find her?_

John ran across the frozen ground, thankful for the snow boots.

Teyla and Ronon knelt on the ground. The Athosian woman held something black in her hands.

“It’s Elizabeth’s jacket.”

John’s heart sunk.

“It’s warm,” Teyla added in surprise, turning it over to examine.

Then something flew out of the air and hit John in the head.

“Ow! What the—“ he muttered as he turned around to pick it up.

Another black rock, similar to the ones found near the Stargate, had something etched into the side of it.

“Stand back.”

John’s eyes widened. “Everyone, back up!” he yelled as he pulled his P-90 back to the ready.

The air seemed to ripple in front of them until a human form became visible, as though looking through frosted glass. Then something flashed and Elizabeth Weir stood in front of them, hugging herself tightly as she shivered loudly.

The team stood in shock until Teyla finally whispered, “Elizabeth?”

She smiled back. “Glad to see you got my message,” she quietly greeted, then collapsed to her knees.

Without hesitation, John stripped his vest off and undid his jacket, kneeling as he threw it around Elizabeth’s back and pulled her close. “You okay?” he asked.

“Better now. Just a little chilly.” Her voice was hoarse, probably from the cold.

He smiled. Then with a glance at Ronon, he told him, “Get to the Gate. Radio for a jumper. We’ve got to get Elizabeth out of the cold.”

As Ronon exited the cave, John rubbed Elizabeth’s back vigorously. “It’s okay. You’re gonna be alright. We just gotta get your body temperature up.”

“Atlantis?” she hoarsely whispered.

“The city’s fine.”

“Wh— happened?”

“As far as we can tell, an unpredicted solar flare caused a geomagnetic—“

“Rodney?”

“Hmm?”

John could feel Elizabeth smile against his shoulder as she spoke. “Heat, then lecture.”

He held his hands up and chuckled. “Sure, sure. My mistake.”

“McKay, Teyla, jumper’s on it’s way,” Ronon radioed.

Not many words were spoken once they got Elizabeth into the jumper. Carson Beckett was already waiting for her in the infirmary when they returned to Atlantis. Despite the temperature of the planet, Elizabeth’s core temperature was closer to normal than he had expected. News had spread of Elizabeth’s return, but by the time the sun set, Carson had requested no more visitors.

But John was never one for obeying doctor’s orders, anyway.

He walked into the quiet infirmary and nodded at Marie, then walked closer to Elizabeth’s bed.

Elizabeth was laying somewhat reclined in a bed, a warm saline solution still being fed through an IV. Her palm pilot was off to the side, as well as a plate of food that she hadn’t quite been able to finish. John stood next to the curtain for a moment, regarding her, until she became aware of another visitor. She smiled, then nodded. “I was wondering when you were going to visit.”

“I didn’t want to get in Carson’s way,” he smoothly lied.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Since when has that stopped you before?”

He nodded reluctantly and took a seat at her side. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better. Warmer. Alive.” She shook her head. “For a while there, I thought I was hallucinating.”

“What happened out there?”

She shrugged, searching for the words. “There was no DHD on the other side. I waited by the Gate as long as I could but I knew eventually I would freeze to death. So I began looking for a structure, anyplace where I could take shelter. I found the cave. So I trekked out once more with the rocks to leave a message, hoping the snow wouldn’t cover it up, and I stayed in the cave.”

“Without food or water for three weeks?” John asked.

“Well,” she smiled, “there was plenty of water.”

“But you’re not malnourished.”

“That’s because there was another place in the cave.” She shifted in her seat. “Do you remember when you went through the temporal barrier where the villagers were trying to ascend?”

“Yeah.”

She chuckled. “Found another one.”

“So you were safe?”

“For the most part. But there wasn’t anyone there. Either they had all ascended or no one knew about it’s existence anymore. Due to the planet’s climate, I believe the second reason is more likely. So I had food and water. And a lot longer than three weeks.”

John sighed. When he had been trapped, what had in reality only been a handful of hours had been months for him. “How long?”

“About six weeks. It was only twice as long as regular time.” Elizabeth sighed, then sat up in her seat. “I had food and water, a place to sleep under the stars with 70° weather. But I was afraid if I tried going back through the other side that I wouldn’t be able to return. So I checked on the fissure every day, seeing if there was any activity on the other side.” She smiled softly. “When I saw Ronon and Teyla, I tossed my jacket through. When I saw that they had found it in time, I threw a rock.”

“Thanks for that, by the way,” he replied, rubbing his temple with a smirk.

“At least it worked.” Elizabeth leaned over and touched his hand. “And I still had people looking for me.”

John looked back up at her, hazel eyes glimmering darkly. “You wouldn’t give up on any of us. You didn’t give up on me. Not doing the same for you wasn’t even an option.”

She smiled warmly back at him. “So the next time this happens—“

“Oh, there won’t be a next time,” John interrupted. “I’ve already put into practice new procedures that prevent non-essential personnel from being on the Gate room floor when it’s active.”

Elizabeth paused a moment, looking at her lap. “So now I’m ‘non-essential’, am I?”

“That’s not what I—“

“John.”

He looked up and met her gaze.

Her eyebrow was lifted, her eyes were dancing, and a small smile was tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Get some rest, John. You need it as much as I do.”

John nodded. “All right. I’ll be by to check on you in the morning.”

“Breakfast would be good, too.”

“I’ll bring you coffee.”

Elizabeth hissed. “On second thought, I haven’t had caffeine in six weeks. Maybe we should ease back into it slowly.”

John smirked as he stood. “I’m just glad I wasn’t around for your caffeine withdrawal mood swings.”

Elizabeth’s pillow hit him on the back.


	19. "Come Home With Me."

“Come home with me.”

Elizabeth looked up at him. “What did you say?”

“Come home with me,” John repeated. “Please.”

She shook her head. “John, you know I can’t do that.”

"Yes, you can. There's nothing stopping you."

“It’s not possible.”

“You can step through the Stargate. I’ll even show you how.”

“John, that’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

“So why are you suddenly incapable of leaving this planet? Because if memory serves, you’ve wanted nothing more than to come home for months.”

“I do. But I’m … I’m not ready.”

“Elizabeth. It’s time. Why are you delaying this?”

“Because I’m worried, all right? I’m worried about what I’ll find on the other side.”

“You’re gonna be with me. You don’t have anything to be worried about.”

“It won’t be the same.”

“Things haven’t been the same for months.”

“What about the others? Rodney, Teyla, Ronon? How will they react?”

“They’ll be thrilled. I promise.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because I will be over the moon happy if you come home with me.”

“John.”

“Elizabeth.”

She sighed, then pushed back from her desk. “I’m … nervous about meeting your family.”

“Seriously? That’s why you don’t want to go?”

Elizabeth sighed again, then stood and crossed the room, taking the chair next to John. “I’ve been privy to some of the most crucial negotiations in the history of Earth. I’ve stared down a Wraith. I’ve travelled to another galaxy, and yet, meeting your family terrifies me.”

John laughed. “My brother’s not that scary, trust me.”

“I know, I know, it’s just … it’s new for me. I haven’t met my significant other’s family since Simon, and, well, we all knew each other, so it was more of a formality than anything.” She reached for his hands. “I’ve never really been the girl that anyone brings home to meet the parents.”

“Kinda skipped that step, huh?”

She nodded. “I know it’ll all be fine, but it’s still nerve-wracking.”

“And again, I remind you: you’ll be with me. You’ll be fine.” He lifted her hands to kiss the backs of them, something she found oddly unusual and romantic for him. “They’re gonna love you. Not as much as I do, but they’re gonna love you.”

She smiled.


End file.
